Daily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Friday, December 18, Evening
By Vivian Kempfer
Elizabeth
Read Luke 1:5
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.” (KJV)
The name Elizabeth signifies “The oath of God” or “The daughter of the covenant,” and Elizabeth was a true type of a covenant and a daughter of God. It is written of her, as well as of her husband, that they were “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” But Elizabeth was barren, and this was no small trial to her, to be so advanced in age and remain childless.
But the day came when her husband Zacharias brought home strange news to Elizabeth. While in the temple, Zacharias had been visited by an angel and was told that Elizabeth would bear him a son, and he was to name him John. Elizabeth’s faithful routine of service, in little things to God, had brought about a wonderful, long-awaited change in her life. Like her sisters around her, she was going to be blessed with a child!
There came a day, in her quiet home in the country of Judea, that Mary, her cousin, came to see her. This visit had a wondrous effect on Elizabeth. She was “filled with the Holy Ghost”. The very first human being of whom such is mentioned is Elizabeth; and she spoke out with a loud voice and said: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
The Spirit of God in one woman recognized the Spirit of God in the other; and it was a message to Mary from On High when Elizabeth recognized her as the Messiah’s mother. With the communion between these two women, and with the intense nearness of God, the mother of the Messiah and the mother of His forerunner, John the Baptist, understood Him and understood one another.
Prayer
I pray when we come together, that the Holy Spirit will draw us together and our Spirits can become one. Amen.
